Man charged with torching own property

FLORENCE TWP. — A Florence Township man was jailed Wednesday night after allegedly torching multiple structures on his property. Nicolas F.M. Prince, 42, of the 11000 block of Stephens Road, is facing one count of aggravated arson, a first-degree felony. On Monday night, Prince allegedly set fire to an outbuilding on his Stephens Road property, according to Erie County Sheriff Paul Sigsworth. Then, on Tuesday, Florence Township firefighters received two separate fire calls at the property approximately three-and-a-half hours apart. The first call, received at about 6 p.m., involved a fire in another of the parcel's outbuildings. The second call, received just after 9:30 p.m., involved a fire in a large garage that is not connected to the residence, Sigsworth said. All three buildings burned to the ground. A vehicle in the garage was also consumed by the conflagration. All that was left of the garage was scorched timbers, ashes and piles of scrap metal. On Tuesday night, sheriff's office officials conferred with county prosecutors about the fire. On Wednesday, deputies obtained a warrant for Prince's arrest on the aggravated arson charge. They also received a search warrant to search for Prince and any potential evidence. Both of those orders were signed by Vermilion Municipal Court Jude W. Zach Dolyk. Deputies also obtained a probate order for Prince signed by Erie County Common Pleas Court Judge Beverly McGookey. A probate order allows deputies to detain a person for a mental health evaluation. After obtaining the probate order and two warrants, deputies went to Prince's residence and attempted to negotiate with him to surrender, Sigsworth said. Prince would come outside briefly then dart back into his home. Eventually, deputies were able to convince Prince to exit the home and surrender. He was taken into custody without incident, Sigsworth said. As of late Thursday, Prince is being held at Erie County Jail under a no-bond order. He will receive a mental health evaluation in jail, according to Sigsworth. "He made some statements to investigators Wednesday evening, but they were mostly nonsense," Sigsworth said. At this time, investigators have been unable to determine a motive for setting the fires. If convicted of the aggravated arson charge, Prince could face up to 11 years in prison.